Badaun Rape-Murders: CBI ‘picks up’ fathers of victims

CBI officials refused to confirm why the fathers of the victims were picked up.

“I don’t know why they have taken my husband away. Have we already not seen enough?,’ says victim’s mother. (Source: Reuters)

The CBI on Sunday reportedly picked the fathers of the two Badaun rape-and-murder victims for interrogation, a week after it emerged that they had transferred Rs 1 lakh each to the bank accounts of the main eyewitnesses.

Speaking to The Indian Express, the mother of the younger girl said officials from the CBI had landed at their home in Katra Sadatganj village in UP’s Badaun district, early Sunday morning. “The CBI officers asked my husband and younger brother-in-law, who also lost his daughter in the incident, to accompany them. We do not know where exactly they have gone, but I heard my husband say they wanted to do some pooch-taach (questioning). I have no idea when they will be back,” she said.

Last week, it had been reported that the fathers of the two girls — whose bodies were found hanging from a mango tree in the village after being raped —had paid Rs 1 lakh each to their neighbour Babu Ram alias Najru, as well as their third brother, who is a witness before the CBI. The money had reportedly been paid from the Rs 5 lakh compensation that the family had accepted from the BSP.

The house of the victims bore a desolate look on Sunday —a picture of the two girls hanging from the tree, along with a note on women’s rights pasted on the wooden door. Outside, a group of state policemen sat on a charpoy.

The younger victim’s mother sat in the courtyard along with other women huddled around her. “I don’t know why they have taken my husband away. Have we already not seen enough?,” she asked, wiping her tears.

“It’s a difficult time for us. And the CBI is taking away my family members while the accused openly threaten us. How is this justified? The family of the accused goes about saying that their son will go scot free as he is a minor.”

CBI officials refused to confirm why the fathers of the victims were picked up. “The CBI teams cannot share such information as it may be sensitive and can hamper the process of investigation. So,we cannot confirm whether the girls’ fathers were picked up,” the CBI spokesperson told The Indian Express.